A group appointed by Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare recommended that the country, which has laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, consider authorizing the import, production, and use of medications derived from cannabis, provided they go through the same approval process as pharmaceuticals.
The committee met on Thursday, and its conclusion was that the country should do more to discourage recreational usage of the plant. While being in possession of cannabis is illegal, using it is not, and the panel believes that this should change.
Even though recreational marijuana usage has been legalized in certain places including Canada, the United States, and Europe, doing so in Japan can result in a 10-year prison sentence. One study using 2017 data found that only 1.4% of the population has tried cannabis. When a famous person is arrested for possession, the story makes national headlines.
As an example, the panel pointed to Epidiolex, an epilepsy medicine derived from cannabis, which has been approved for domestic clinical studies in Japan. The panel concluded that even if such treatments were eventually approved by the health ministry, clinicians would still be unable to prescribe them because to the restrictions of the present Cannabis Control Act.
In Japan, you can buy cannabidiol (CBD) products made only from hemp stalks and seeds, but only under strict regulations. Products derived from the plant itself, like as medicines, are unlawful even if the psychoactive ingredient has been removed.
